Machine for cleaning or hackling fiber



J. B. STEN'GER,. E McYCAFFR AY, AND C E. O YLER, MACHINE FOR CLEANING 0RHACKLING FIBER. APPLICATION FILED. EEB. 9', 1921;

' 1,418,493. v v Patented u 6, '19'22;

nnninu aamns ."B. sTENeER, Ens twin MCCAFFRAY.

MARYLAND, Assrenon's o HAMILTON LAND, A oonronnrronor MARYLAND.

i insomnia roe (measure on application filed February 9 5" i .I i l4-5/2 @t/tOWI, vi may canoe, /2.-- V I Be it l-mcwn hat we, J es l3.tirsnorm, lUI-Li) ia h'i ii (,frninmzs r3.

citizens of the United F'tates and reat Baltimore cit}, ti t-ate e1?lilaryland,

have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Machines forCleaning or Ha: ling Fiber. of a specification. r

'lhe present invention reliit machines for combing, scraping; orhaul-ping fibrous u'izite ials and partieularly tomacl'iines for ha 111gbroom corn in whit-h it is desired to st mine the seeds and refuse fromthe ends of the 19H vesrto out the stock to the proper which thefollowing is length, and to comb hackle the butt end of the corn helore'it PUSSPS fi'onrthe ma.-

ch'ine. lt is particularly desirable that durthe hachling and sawing ofthe corn "t he ti n'ly held against movement at the same time thefibersshould not be gripped. pllld'lltlll'l such manner quality of theproductis reduced in grade,

to become bruised or broken so thatthe A. particularobject of 'thepresent invention is to-provide a novel means for feedings the corn'tothe hackling or iombing devices and to hold it, while being eombed or vhacklechby pneumatic pressure so that while it is firmly held it can notbe bruised or broken andthereby weakened. A haclcling machine havingtheimproved fiber holding means will befully disclosed in the followingdescription'and in the accompanying drauings inwhich: v i .1

Fig. ll his side'elevation of the'hackling machine; 1 I t Fig. 2 is anend elevation of the machine as viewed from the left;

Fig. is a top view of the machine;

Fig. l is a section on line l---l of Figure 3;

Fig-j 5 is sectionon 'line5 5 of Figure 1, to a larger scale. I

Rotatably supported in the frame of the; machine are two star wheels andl l'respectively, the spaced serrated edges of which are adapted toengage wisps of broom corn or bunches of fibrous material of other kindsand tofeed it through the machine in the manner hereinafter to bedescribed. Thesestar wheels are parsitllel and overlapping. They areadapted to rotate simul- "AND (Jeanine oynnajor eaten/ions, joassenn &oo or BALTIMOEEL MARY- naorsnrne FIBER.

Specification of Letters ,iezif Serial imaaariea'.

taneously the same direction'and at' t he same speed, having pulleys 12and-l3 respectively connected thereto, anendless belt l l passing. overthese pulleys and tying the star: wheels for simultaneous rotation.

Mounted onthe shaft supporting star wheel 10} is a second pulley 15'anda belt 1.6

connects this pulley with a pulley -17 m0un1- edon a shaft 1.8 whichlSClljlRQTl from power shaft 19 through aworni 20 and wo-rmwheel i IAlsomountedon shaft 19*is a hackling or comhingdrum -22 of anyordinaryor usual type but which is preferably. of'the type illustrated,eomprising av cylindrical drum provided with a plurality offradiallypro- 'jectlng spikes The axis'of the ha cklingv drum 22 isinsubstantially the same horizontal planeas the topof the star'wheel.

Ar anged parallel @to shaft 19 is a short shaft 24 connectedwby means ofabelt 25' to the power shaft fors multaneousrotation therew th, and thlsshaft supports'asecond hackling drum positioned opposite "thetop: of thestar wheel 11. This 'hackling drunii may be similar to the drum, 22 or.it may be different, if'desirech 5A circular'saw 27 having its blade" ina. plane parallel-to the planes of the star iirhe els :l0.and ll isoperatively connected by means wheels andbelts to shaft 18. I i ,i

*Mounted vertically aboy e eacl i of thestarwheels on-shafts parallel tothe sliaftssupporting the. star-wheels vare wheels-28 and 29respectively whicl'ivare freely} rotatable and which have, pneumatictires 30 and 31: respectively; mounted on their, peripheries Thepneumatic tiresffare partially inflated and are adaptedto bear onfibrous materials arranged transversely-of the star wheels of pulley vas" clearly show iii .ine F-igure h, {to holds-the materials firmlyagainst the -star wheel as, l

it passes the hackl-ing' d-rum. These tires accommodate ,themselires totheshapejand size of the fibers supplied to vthe machine and, v I

while pressing firmly against the fibers and" preventing their movemehave no crushing or brul 11g tendency.

it, at the same tim At the ri hthand end of, the machine is i located ap atform 32 which is a feedin star wheel toward thefirst hackling drum.3

The wisps are arranged with the butt end on the side toward the circularsaw and are positioned so that the saw will cut off the proper length ofthe butt end. In passing from the feeding platform 32"u'p to the pointwhere the partially inflated tire 30 grips the fibers they are preventedfrom falling from the star wheel by the curved guard 33. Passing fromunder the guard the wisps of corn a re'immediately pinched or pressedagainst the star wheel by the tire 30 and areheld by this tire until theends of the fibers have been hackled or combed by the first hacklingdrum and the butt ends has been out by the circular saw.

After having been freed by the tire 30. the wispsof corn are carrieddownward by the star wheel toward the second star wheel,

a guard 34 being provided to, prevent dis? placement of the wisps, and astripping device 35 supported upon the frame being provided for removingthe wisps of corn from the first star wheel. This stripping devicecomprises a support 36 (Fig. 4) and two parallelwires or rods 37, theends of which lie in grooves'38 in the cylindrical surface of the star.wheel. 3

After, being stripped from the first star wheel, the wisps of corn areengaged by the teeth of the second star wheel and pass upwardly towardthe second hackling drum. This hackling drum is adapted to comb orhackle the hurl or butt ends of the corn wisps and after it has beencompleted the corn is carried downwardly and is stripped fromthe secondstar wheel 11 by asecond stripping device comprising a support 39mounted on the frame and two wires or rods 40 which enter circulargrooves in the periphery of the star wheel. Guards ll and 42 areprovided to prevent the wisps of corn from falling from thestar wheelsprematurel After being striped the corn falls l i P of fiber such asbroom corn whichvary pended claims.

greatly in size and will hold a small fiber or wisp as readily as alarge one.

The invention may be embodied in different forms and is not limited inits scope to the exact form above described and illustrated inthedrawings. The scope of the invention is clearly pointed out in the ap-Having thus described the invention what 'is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, means forcombing fibrous materials, and means for feeding such materials pastthecombing means including a rotatable wheel member the tread portion ofwhich is adapted to be pressed by pneumatic pressure against the fiberto hold the same, and a second rotatable wheel in the same plane tosupport the fiber against movement away from said first wheel.

2. In a machine of the class described, in combination, means forcombing fibrous materials, and means for feeding such materials past thecombing means including two conterials, and means for feeding suchmaterials ast the combin means lIlOluCllIl a rota-v table wheel forsupporting the fiber and carrying it past the combing means, and asecond wheel in the same plane and. pro

vided with a pneumatic tire adapted to bear on the fiber'carried by thefirst wheel, as it passes the combing means, to hold the same.

I. In machine of the class described, in combination, a relativelystationary means for combing fibrous materials, and means for feedingsuch materials past the combing means including two rotatable wheelsarranged in the same plane and adapted to cooperate to hold the fiberbetween them one of said wheels having a tire of yielding material tofirmly grip the fiber without injuring the same.

In testimony whereof we aifix our signatures. Y

JAMES B; sTnNsER.

EDMUND MCCAFFRAY.

CHARLES E. OYLER.

